Talking about Trees (2019)
Country: SUD/FR/CH/QAT/UAE/GER
Technical: col 93m
Director: Suhaib Gasmelbari
Cast: Manar Al Hilo, Suleiman Ibrahim, Altayeb Mahdi
Synopsis:
A group of former Sudanese film-makers, under the banner 'Sudanese Film Group', travel about in their decrepit minibus showing films to motley audiences on the walls of buildings. Desirous of reviving the practice of public screenings, they rent a former cinema and seek the requisite permits, but the authorities put every obstacle in their way.
Review:
Like a Buena Vista Social Club in which no one involved actually gets to play a note, this is nevertheless a touching portrait of the camaraderie among an ageing group of professionals who have seen much together. Gasmelbari's film offers glimpses of their past work via hopelessly worn prints but fails perforce to deliver on its whimsical premise. Their ill-starred project proves ultimately to be one of political defiance, even if the political background is only vaguely etched, and pacing is a problem when images must speak for themselves. The shared humour is a sobering reminder of our good fortune, and it is heartening to see that Charlie Chaplin and Clint Eastwood can still delight the smarter citizens of an Islamist republic, albeit covertly.
Country: SUD/FR/CH/QAT/UAE/GER
Technical: col 93m
Director: Suhaib Gasmelbari
Cast: Manar Al Hilo, Suleiman Ibrahim, Altayeb Mahdi
Synopsis:
A group of former Sudanese film-makers, under the banner 'Sudanese Film Group', travel about in their decrepit minibus showing films to motley audiences on the walls of buildings. Desirous of reviving the practice of public screenings, they rent a former cinema and seek the requisite permits, but the authorities put every obstacle in their way.
Review:
Like a Buena Vista Social Club in which no one involved actually gets to play a note, this is nevertheless a touching portrait of the camaraderie among an ageing group of professionals who have seen much together. Gasmelbari's film offers glimpses of their past work via hopelessly worn prints but fails perforce to deliver on its whimsical premise. Their ill-starred project proves ultimately to be one of political defiance, even if the political background is only vaguely etched, and pacing is a problem when images must speak for themselves. The shared humour is a sobering reminder of our good fortune, and it is heartening to see that Charlie Chaplin and Clint Eastwood can still delight the smarter citizens of an Islamist republic, albeit covertly.
Country: SUD/FR/CH/QAT/UAE/GER
Technical: col 93m
Director: Suhaib Gasmelbari
Cast: Manar Al Hilo, Suleiman Ibrahim, Altayeb Mahdi
Synopsis:
A group of former Sudanese film-makers, under the banner 'Sudanese Film Group', travel about in their decrepit minibus showing films to motley audiences on the walls of buildings. Desirous of reviving the practice of public screenings, they rent a former cinema and seek the requisite permits, but the authorities put every obstacle in their way.
Review:
Like a Buena Vista Social Club in which no one involved actually gets to play a note, this is nevertheless a touching portrait of the camaraderie among an ageing group of professionals who have seen much together. Gasmelbari's film offers glimpses of their past work via hopelessly worn prints but fails perforce to deliver on its whimsical premise. Their ill-starred project proves ultimately to be one of political defiance, even if the political background is only vaguely etched, and pacing is a problem when images must speak for themselves. The shared humour is a sobering reminder of our good fortune, and it is heartening to see that Charlie Chaplin and Clint Eastwood can still delight the smarter citizens of an Islamist republic, albeit covertly.